The present invention relates to a method of feeding tobacco items, particularly cigarettes, to a continuous packing machine.
In the tobacco industry, reciprocating cigarette packing machines are employed, i.e. wherein the cigarettes travel in steps and are handled by means of reciprocating members.
Reciprocating packing machines feature an input device comprising a cigarette feedbox normally presenting three outlets, each defined by a number of side by side, substantially vertical channels in turn defined by a number of side by side, substantially vertical partitions.
For each outlet, the input device also comprises a fixed box for receiving a layer of cigarettes, and positioned facing the bottom end of the relative channels, and separated from the bottom end of the relative partitions by a distance approximately equal to but no less than the diameter of the cigarettes. The input device also comprises a reciprocating push device for axially engaging the cigarettes in the layer inside the box and expelling them axially from the box into a pocket on a conveyor travelling in steps in a direction perpendicular to the cigarettes inside the feedbox, and which provides for forming groups of cigarettes for supply to the packing machine.
Recently, continuous cigarette packing machines were disclosed in which an input device such as that described above cooperates with a conveyor designed to advance the aforementioned pockets in steps in front of the input device, and in a continuous manner through a transfer station at which the groups of cigarettes are transferred to a continuous packing line.
In practice, the above way of feeding cigarettes to a continuous packing machine proved to be not very brilliant owing to the presence of the above intermittent-continuous conveyor, which is very complicated and expendive in construction, and a very strong source of vibrations.